Even though TruJoy Yogurt is now stocked in over 500 stores in DFW, founder Charlie Gentry didn’t start out in the kitchen.
Once an oil-and-gas professional, Gentry spent his days crunching numbers and his nights dreaming about dessert. But three and a half years ago, he decided to trade pipelines for pints. The result is TruJoy Yogurt, a high-protein, clean-ingredient frozen treat that’s turning heads from Fort Worth to San Francisco.
“I’ve always loved food, been a bit of a health nut my whole life,” Gentry says. “I saw an opportunity in the freezer aisle to offer a cleaner alternative for folks.”
He began experimenting in his mother’s kitchen using his grandmother’s Cuisinart ice cream maker. Eventually, he realized he needed a commercial setup, so he invested in a $15,000 ice cream freezer, which he ran off a generator with a 20-amp extension cord snaking through the house. In May 2023, he turned his life savings into 20,000 pints of frozen yogurt with almost no customers. But luck and persistence followed quickly.
Central Market picked up TruJoy, and now this frozen treat sits in more than 500 stores across the DFW area. Gentry honed the formula over 125 recipes, balancing creamy texture, natural flavors, and probiotics without relying on artificial sugars or additives. Flavors range from classic vanilla — the bestseller — to Lemon Velvet, a nod to a family recipe, and peanut butter chocolate chip, which tests even his own self-control.
The name “TruJoy” itself is both clever and personal.
“I had another name in mind,” Gentry explains, “but my mom said it was too nerdy and suggested TruJoy Yogurt. It’s ‘yogurt’ spelled backward with a J. Simple, memorable, and fun.”
The name stuck, perfectly capturing the philosophy behind the brand: authentic happiness in every spoonful.
Plus, Gentry’s background as a chemistry major in college comes into play in every pint.
“Ice cream is chemistry,” he says, referring not only to the molecular reactions in frozen desserts but also to his training. Crafting a frozen yogurt with lower fat, lower sugar, and live probiotics takes precise experimentation. His chemistry knowledge helped him balance ingredients, control textures, and preserve probiotics while delivering indulgent flavor.
For Gentry, the journey isn’t just about selling ice cream. It’s about persistence, creativity, and navigating the quirks of retail distribution.
“Timing is everything,” he says. “You knock on one door, and it’s an instant yes. Another one takes 18 months of persistence.”
And while TruJoy Yogurt is meant to be enjoyed cold, Gentry’s meticulous attention to detail— from sourcing California milk to using real vanilla with 130 flavor notes — makes each bite deliberate and luxurious.
For now, Gentry is chasing shelf space, expanding the brand, and making sure his frozen creations hit the sweet spot between health and indulgence.
“Health trends are ever evolving, and when I launched, probiotics were all the thing — now it’s protein,” he says. “I’m lucky my product naturally fits both.”
Find TruJoy Yogurt in select DFW stores or online at trujoyyogurt.com.